Apparatus for making coffee



Feb. 10, 1931.

S. FORMAN APPARATUS FOR MAKING COFFEE Filed Feb. 12, 1930 Patented Feb. 1%1931 "soLoMonronMAia, or new Yo'air, N.

ii; Assrenon on man-HALF mesamm oe MAN, or nnooir'nim, newsman nrrnnnriis Fen treatise corner.

I Application filed February 12, 1930, Seria1-No.427,693.'

My invention relates generally to appaprovis on of means wherebythe ground acof-" fee ispositively confined'within a space of definite volume approximating the maxi-- lfl'mumspace occupied by the ground cofiee itself during filtration so that, with a given amount of ground cofiee and water, filtration conditions can be substantially duplicated time after time to insure that uniformity of performance of the process requisite tore-' I v cover and bafiiexmay be positively positioned sults of high'quality and dependability.

' Further and related ob]ects are the pro,- VlSlOl'l and means whereby the impact of the boiling water upon the ground c'ofiee is avoided thus eliminating the danger ofdis placement thereof and consequent imperfectand too rapid filtration. By thesame means I also prevent the trapping of air betweenthe ground cotlee and the surface which is often troublesomebecause of the disturbance ofthe layer ofground cofiee by the escaping air bubbles. I

One embodiment of my invention for V achieving these and otherdesirable results is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which' Figure 1 is a side elevation partly insection "of my improved coffee making apparatus; I

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of the per.- forated plate forretaining the ground coffee in the desired'position and for other purposes; V

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of i art of the filter chamber; and r Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view of a frag Y W v r the proper distance above the ground coffee..-

ment of Fig. 3 along the line H. Referring to the drawings, l is an open top coffee pot having the usual spout and handle. I 1 Into the open top 2 thereof projects the filter chamber 3 formed in the lower part of the, hotwate r receptacle-'5. Filter cha'mber'3 is cylindrical and, of a size suit-able to fit snugly but removably within the openingin the top of the coffee pot 1, as shown. It also has a perforated bottom 6 through which the en tracted beverage may pass into the pot The.

perforations 6 are preferably of substantial size, the ground coffee being preventedfrom passing therethrough by a filter? which may 1 be-madeof-any suitable material, rice paper for example, placed directly upon; the perforated bottom.

In the sides of the filter chamber 3am inwardly projecting lugs of any desired number. In Figs. 1 and 4 four such lugs are shown at 8, 9, 10 and 11. Preferably three or more sets of such lugs equally spaced around the sides are provided toform sup ports and retainers-whereby aperforated the desired distance abovethe bottoni of the li ter chamber for the amount of coffee being made- For example, when the disk 12is in its lowest position, as shown in Figs. 1" and 3,the device is adjusted'for making say two nexthigher position it would be then adj usted for'a four cup capacity and so on up to the maximum capacity of the pot. This cover and battle consists of a perforated disk 12 designedto fit loosely intolilter chamber of lugs 8, 9, 10 and 11 and deep enough'to permit-the disk 12 to pass by the lugs when so. registered- "in operation'the receptacle 5 is placed in 1. The perforations 6 are covered by afilter v paper 7. The desired. quantityof ground cofleeis then placed upon the filterfpaper within filter chamber3 andtheretaining disk 12 insertedandlowered until it ispositioned This is accomplished, as indicatedabove, by

.cu'ps'of cofiee- Ifth'e diskisraised'to the 7 e5 position on the top of potl, as shown in Fig. 7

bringing the notches linto register with the lugs 8', 9, 1G and 11. It will be noted that. all ofthe lugs 8 are an equal distance above the bottom'jof receptacle 5;.ithat all'ofthalugs 9 are. an equalbutgreateridistance above. the: 1 bottom; andxthatthe lugs lO'and 11 are 'also at. equal: but still greater distances above thevented from moving either upwardor down ward. The air spacethus formed will be'relatively small-and will bequickly filled by the swelling of the coffee. In this way a meas-.

ured amount of coffee may be confined within a space of definite volume with the result that the same conchtions for filtration maybe readily reproduced.

Through the use of this positively posi tioned'perforated. disk forming the top' of; the filter chamber proper hot water may be poured into the receptacle 5 without fear of disturbing the ground coffee andwill be uniformly spread over the entire surface and al-. lowed to filter gradually and uniformly into the coffee pot, the important matters of time and conditions of filtration being thus attended to almost automatically. 1 am aware that heretofore-it has been the practice in drip coffee pots to place above the coffee a perforated disk or other means whereby di-- rect impact of the water upon the coffee has been avoided, but such means have been positioned either a considerable distance above the coffee or directly upon it and has been-re tained in position only by its own weight. In the first instance, the coffee which is very finely ground and Very dry is certain to mix with the water with the result that filtration is completed before a sulficient extraction has been effected and, in the latter instance, a very COI'lSlfiGIfilblQ variation in filtration conditions has been found to result from the humanly unavoidable variations in the manner in which the manualplacing of the; diskdirectthe disk. The result is thatthe water which passes through the perforations fails ,to

moisten the ground coffee uniformly, with the result that the extraction is not uniform. If,

as in my invention, the perforated disk is at thebeginning of the process positioned slightly above the ground coffee so that a small air space between the top of the coffee and the bottom of the disk is'provided thewater within a definite volume by positivemeans.

which can move neither up nor down but which, at the same time, may be readily inserted and removed is, I believe, entirely novel and constitutes a decidedly valuable and "useful lmprovement 1n suchdevlces in. that it permits of the reproduction of the same and the most desirable conditions for proper and economical fi tration time after time for any amount of coffee within the capacity of the.

device. 7

What I claim is i v y A coffee making machine comprising a coffee pot, a containersupported by said pot and provided with a downwardly projecting portion having a ,-perforated bottom and a plurality of horizontally extending lugs arranged in vertical rows on the inside wall thereof, a perforated-disk of substantially thesame diameter as the inside'diameter of the downwardly projecting portion of said container provided with a plurality of notches therein of the horizontal'width of said lugs, said notches being peripherally spaced on the disk to conform with the posi tion of the vertical rows of lugs to permit the disk to beinserted in the downwardly pro ecting port on of said container to form filter 'chamberadjustable in size between said disk and the perforated bottom of said container, the space between said vertical lugs being substantially equal to thethick ness of said disk whereby said disk when inserted and )ositioned-between 111 s is held b said lugs agamstvertmal movement.

. Intestimony whereof fhave hereunto set my hand onthis 8rd day ofFebruary, A. D,

' soLoMoN FORMAN.

which percolates through the perforations face of the coffee-to moisten it uniformly and yet no substantial displacement of the ground idly and soon fills the entire space beneath the disk. The positiveretention of the coffee will result since the coffee iswells rapground coffee-inv its original po'sitionand' 

